Meta has announced a global pause on teen access to its AI characters across all its apps. This decision comes just days before a trial is set to begin in New Mexico, where the company faces accusations of failing to adequately protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms. Recent reports also indicate that Meta has attempted to limit disclosures regarding the impact of social media on teen mental health.

In October, Meta introduced new parental control features designed to shape how teens interact with AI on its apps. Inspired by the PG-13 movie rating system, these features restricted teen exposure to content involving extreme violence, nudity, and graphic drug use.

Shortly after, the company previewed additional controls for AI characters, giving parents and guardians the ability to monitor topics and block access to specific characters. At the time, Meta noted that parents would also have the option to completely disable chats with AI characters. While these features were scheduled to launch this year, Meta is now adopting a stricter approach by temporarily suspending all teen access to AI characters. The company explained that feedback from parents, who expressed a desire for greater insight and control over their teens’ AI interactions, prompted this pause.

“Starting in the coming weeks, teens will no longer be able to access AI characters across our apps until the updated experience is ready. This will apply to anyone who has given us a teen birthday, as well as people who claim to be adults but who we suspect are teens based on our age prediction technology,” Meta stated in an updated blog post.

Meta added that when it eventually reintroduces AI characters for teens, they will come with built-in parental controls. The new characters are designed to provide age-appropriate responses and will focus on topics such as education, sports, and hobbies.

Social media companies are currently facing intense regulatory scrutiny. In addition to the New Mexico case, Meta is also preparing for a trial next week where it is accused of contributing to social media addiction. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify once that trial begins.

Beyond social platforms, AI companies have also adjusted their offerings for younger users in response to legal challenges. In October, Character.AI, a startup that enables users to chat with various AI avatars, restricted open-ended conversations with chatbots for users under 18. The following month, the company announced plans to develop interactive stories for children.

More recently, OpenAI has implemented new teen safety guidelines for ChatGPT and has begun using age prediction technology to apply appropriate content restrictions.